Creepy Nuts' "Yofukashi no Uta": Tuning into the Night
Yofukashi no Uta is a catchy ode to the small hours by the Japanese hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts. A whirlwind account of the love-hate relationship between a budding rapper and the darkness, it helped introduce Creepy Nuts to a wider audience after inspiring a hit anime (called Call of the Night) in 2022.
From the oddly transfixing opening, with its chirps and crackles reminiscent of tuning into the radio at night, Yofukashi no Uta abounds with playful energy. The wailing refrain and kaleidoscopic references -- to Greek myths, archaic ways of telling time, a deft nod to the Monkees -- spin about you like neon signs in the dark. In effect, it’s a lot like the headiness of unplugging from the daytime.
In the space of four minutes, we follow the protagonist from childhood (”Never liked going to bed at nine”) to a curious fourteen year old pilfering Dad’s liquor and cigarettes, to an older teen sneaking out to join freestyle rap sessions on Saturday nights. The song moves fluidly between soul-baring confessional and nonchalant origin story, building a sense of connection and anticipation. Throughout, the universal weight of social expectations and daily routine is acknowledged through the magnetic pull of the dark.
For all its devotion, Yofukashi no Uta is clear-eyed about what the night doesn’t offer. In this telling, our affection for the night is a one-way infatuation that leaves us grasping at dawn, tired and dry-eyed. It doesn’t offer any remedy for the anxiety keeping us awake at night. Nor is there any hint of grand meaning in daytime alienation. It’s this combination of emotional insight and unsentimental honesty that elevates the song from a curious anthem for night owls to a gesture of solidarity.
I went to see Creepy Nuts perform live this past summer. The set began at sundown. Between songs, the darkness of the hall was lit up by a giant reclining baby, beaming like a deity bearing good fortune from the on-stage video wall. Dressed for the beach, he looked blissfully at home in the velvet dark, oblivious to the demands of the world.